


Stand in the Light

by sterekandstonyanddestiel3ohmy



Series: We [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Bruce Banner, Alpha Phil Coulson, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Thor, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, Multi, Omega Bucky Barnes, Omega Clint Barton, Omega Loki, Omega Tony Stark, past rape(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-09-19 08:39:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9430742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterekandstonyanddestiel3ohmy/pseuds/sterekandstonyanddestiel3ohmy
Summary: Clint and Phil are back for more in this sequel to It Felt Good On My Lips. Clint is now pregnant with Phil’s baby, and they are living a relatively calm life. That is, until Clint receives a phone call one day. Now Clint will have to fight the monsters of his past. Will our favorite couple win the fight? Find out in Stand in the Light.





	1. I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the sequel I've been working on for my last story. Hopefully you like it!
> 
> One chapter will be posted per week because I haven't finished writing this story yet. I'll post more when/if I catch up.

Part One: Love and Family

Chapter One: I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing

Phil's POV

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing. Watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you're far away and dreaming. I could spend my life in this sweet surrender. I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure._

Phil stares at Clint as he sleeps. It’s a Saturday morning, and Phil can’t help but want a lazy day to come out of this weekend. _Such a beautiful man, such a lovely omega, such a wonderful father._ Phil loves this man more than anyone else in the whole world. Well, except maybe for their beautiful little girl. Kaylee was doing great for a one-year-old. She was walking, and learning how to talk. She had him wrapped around her little finger. Phil had never stood a chance against her; she was perfect and everything he could ever ask for. Phil had legally adopted her long ago, and he knew he would never see a difference between her and the baby he was going to have with Clint. 

 _God, his life was crazy._ He had a perfect husband, a perfect daughter, and he was going to be blessed with another child, who he knew would be perfect in his mind. Clint had the tinniest baby bump now that he was about three months along. Clint had had a couple of ultrasounds already, because of the complications he’d had with Kaylee. But Phil had missed them, needing to work. But Clint and Steve both assured Phil that everything was fine and that he really wasn’t missing much at this point. Phil had been worried and anxious about missing the scans and seeing their baby, until yesterday, when Clint had knocked some sense into him. 

He’d been rambling on about wanting to be able to see the baby, and had been asking why he hadn’t seen the scans yet. And Clint, frustrated beyond his control, had turned around and roughly shoved a lime into his hand. _“This is how big the baby is right now! Is it really necessary for you to see it now?”  Clint had asked, and Phil stared at the lime in his hand, turning it over in his hand. He’d apologized and dropped the subject, which seemed to satisfy Clint._

Speaking of Clint, Phil watches as his mate starts to stir, slowly beginning to wake up. Phil smiles and reaches a hand out to run his palm over Clint’s stomach. Clint’s lips twitch into a smile as he opens his eyes, looking at Phil. “Hey, weirdo, watching me sleep?” 

“Always,” Phil replies, kissing his lips. 

Clint rolls his eyes and moves closer to Phil, wrapping his arms around his neck as he kisses Phil again. “I don’t understand why you do that.” 

“Because you are utterly beautiful, and I cannot get enough of you.” Phil whispers as he moves to kiss Clint’s neck. 

“You are so cheesy, you big dork.” Clint laughs. His laugh quickly turns to a groan when Phil nips at his scent glands. 

“Yeah, well, you love me, regardless.” Phil murmurs, hot breath fanning over Clint’s neck. 

“I don’t know why,” Clint jokes. 

Kaylee’s voice breaks through the baby monitor then, and Phil smiles and turns away. Clint whimpers at the loss, and Phil chuckles. He gets out of bed and pulls his pajama bottoms on as he gets up. “Be right back,” he promises. 

Kaylee is standing up in her crib when Phil gets there. She holds her arms out as soon as she sees Phil, wanting him to pick her up. “Hey, baby girl,” he says, turning off her white noise machine and nightlight. She cries out when he doesn’t immediately get her out of her crib, and Phil chuckles. “So demanding,” he teases. “Just like your daddy.” 

 _“I resent that!”_ Clint’s voice cracks through the baby monitor. 

Kaylee looks around, trying to figure out where her dad is. “Daddy?” she asks Phil, completely confused. Phil smiles and kisses her hair as he sets her on the changing table. 

“We’ll see Daddy soon, sweet pea,” Phil promises. 

A few minutes later, Phil carries Kaylee into the bedroom. Clint is still in the bed, and holds out his arms for his daughter. Phil grins and slips into the bed next to him. The little family cuddles close, just enjoying each other’s company. Kaylee plays with a toy and Clint smiles softly at her as she plays. “Am I really demanding?” Clint asks quietly. 

“What? No, of course not. I was just kidding, Clint. You aren’t demanding, you aren’t a burden, you aren’t dumb. You are my wonderful mate, and the beautiful father of my children. I love you so much.” Phil kisses Clint’s cheek. “Don’t think like that, darling.” 

“Sorry… I just-”

“I know. I shouldn’t have joked about that. Now, let’s go get some food.” 

_Don't wanna close my eyes. I don't wanna fall asleep. ’Cause I'd miss you, baby. And I don't wanna miss a thing. ’Cause even when I dream of you. The sweetest dream would never do. I’d still miss you, baby. And I don't wanna miss a thing._


	2. Amazed

Part One: Love and Family

Chapter Two: Amazed 

Phil

_Every time our eyes meet…This feeling inside me is almost more than I can take. Baby, when you touch me, I can feel how much you love me. And it just blows me away. I’ve never been this close to anyone or anything._

Kaylee takes a nap after breakfast. Phil sets her down and Clint tells him to meet him in their room. Phil just nods and rocks Kaylee to sleep. It only takes a couple of minutes for her to fall asleep, and Phil sets her down in her crib, turns on her white noise machine and nightlight, and shuts the door behind him. He heads down the hall, to their bedroom, and finds himself freezing in the doorway. Clint is lying on their bed, completely naked. The scent he is producing is making Phil dizzy with sudden arousal. Phil swallows around the lump in his throat. He’s never seen his mate so ready and eager for sex before. But here he is, standing in the doorway with his jaw near the floor, most likely looking like a complete and utter idiot. And Clint is smirking at him as he looks over his shoulder at him, from his position on the bed. He’s on his hands and knees, in a totally submissive and totally _sexy_ position. 

“Well, aren’t you gonna come fuck me, Alpha?” Clint practically purrs, and Phil rushes into the room, slipping his pajama pants off and nearly pouncing on the bed. Clint laughs at him but his laughter quickly turns into a moan as Phil presses a finger inside of him. It’s Phil’s turn to smirk as his omega moans and groans with each thrust of his finger. phil adds one finger at a time intel he has four fingers buried inside Clint. “Oh God, will you just use your cock already?!” Clint cries, and Phil pulls all of his fingers out roughly. Clint gasps. “You suck, jerk.” Clint mutters when Phil laughs and lines up his dick to enter Clint. 

“Maybe later, huh?” Phil suggests, and hardly gives Clint time to register what he’d said before he pushes into him. Any think Clint had been doing was over then, as Phil fucks his beautiful omega. “You are so perfect, darling. So perfect for me.” Clint whines, and Phil thrusts even deeper into him, moving his mouth to suck on his neck. “You love this, don’t you? Getting your neck sucked while I fuck you _so hard_. You like it, don’t you, baby?” 

Clint nods enthusiastically, and Phil laughs and goes back to sucking while he fucks him. His hand drifts down to Clint’s cock, and Clint groans, long and loud. “ _Phil_ ,” he whimpers. Phil rubs the head of Clint’s leaking cock and then reaches back to fondle Clint’s balls. And that’s when Clint comes with a loud shout. “ _Holy fuck,_ Phil.” Clint groans when Phil comes a moment later. Phil gathers Clint into his arms as he lies down on the bed, next to him. “Every time is so different with you.” 

Phil smiles and kisses his head. “Well, I’ve never loved anyone like I’ve loved you. Maybe you’re my muse,” he jokes. 

 Clint laughs, “Your sex muse.” 

The two laugh and cuddle while they ride out Phil’s knot. Phil pulls out when his knot finally lets him, and he kisses Clint deeply. “You are amazing, Clint. I love you so much.” 

Clint smiles and kisses Phil back. “I love you too, Phil. To the moon and back.” 

Kaylee cries then, and Clint grabs his boxers and a t-shirt as he gets up to get her. Phil watches as his amazing mate walks out of the room, and then throws his head back on the bed with a huge smile. _He’s so in love with Clint._

 _Oh, it feels like the first time, every time. I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes. I don't know how you do what you do! I’m so in love with you! It just keeps getting better. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Forever and ever. Every little thing that you do. Baby, I'm amazed by you._  


	3. May I

Part One: Love and Family

Chapter Three: May I 

Phil 

_There you stand, opened heart, opened doors. Full of life with a world that's wanting more. But I can see when the lights start to fade. The day is done and your smile has gone away._

Phil smiles when Tony greets them at the elevator door. “How you holding up, Stark?” 

Tony groans, “Ugh, I hate this! Nine months my ass!” Tony was two weeks overdue and was very vocal about it. 

“Well, at least you know your kid is healthy, or else the good doc wouldn’t let you stay pregnant.” Clint says as he walks in the room and sets Kaylee down so she can walk over to her buddies, who are sitting in the living room, on their blanket. 

“My doctor’s a jerk! If he cared, he’d force this baby to get out!” Tony shouted, pouting and crossing his arms. 

“You know I told you that you should wait three more days. That’s easy, right? I have a nice big opening in my schedule.” Steve says, putting a hand on Tony’s shoulder. The genius pouts even harder.

“Come on, you big baby. I was late too. But I waited, like Stevie told me to. And my kids were born heavier and more healthy because of it.” Bucky says, and Phil smiles. 

“Yeah, well you don’t know how much that extra week sucks. The first week was one thing, but week two was torture.” Tony whined. Bruce put a hand on his mate’s neck, soothing him. “Let’s go sit and wait for the Odionsons. I’m not greeting them. Loki has no clue what it’s like to carry a kid til you _wanna_ pop.” 

Clint laughed, and Phil watched as his mate helped Tony to the couch. “Technically, I never carried a kid to term.” 

“Yeah, but you were a young one still.” Tony says with a wave of his hand. 

Tony, Bucky, and Clint all sit around and talk. Phil watches with a smile as he starts to talk to Nat and Bruce and Steve. Loki and Thor show up, and Thor joins them while Loki commiserates with the other omegas. They eat dinner an hour later. All three babies are asleep, having eaten when they arrived. They talk and eat, and Clint talks to Bucky about future babies Bucky may have. Bucky just rolls his eyes and tells him that his kids aren’t even a year old yet. Clint laughs and says that he was already pregnant when Kaylee was eleven months, and Bucky sits back and thinks about it. Phil shakes his head and turns to look at Steve, who looks shocked at those words, like he’d never though about it before. They turn back to their food, and Tony declares that it’s time for a movie. “Kid-friendly, of course,” he adds, nodding at Jamie, who’d woken up and is now on Steve’s lap. 

Phil helps set up, and he’s surprised when Bucky corners him on his way back to the living room from collecting blankets. “Hey, can we talk real quick?” Bucky asks, and Phil blinks his surprise away and nods. “Clint told me something I think you should know.” 

Thoughts immediately rush to his mind. _Maybe something is wrong with the baby, after all; maybe Clint and Steve had just been trying to spare him. Maybe Clint is sick. Maybe Clint was leaving him._ So many thoughts swim through his mind before Bucky grabs his arm and gives it a gentle shake. “You okay? It’s not a huge deal, don’t worry. It’s just… Clint got a phone call the other day, and…. I thought you should know about it.” 

“What is it? Who called?”

“His foster father.”

“ _What_?!” Phil hisses. 

“He called, told Clint that he knew where he lived, and hung up. That’s all. At least, that’s what Clint said. But he said he’d not want to worry you, but I thought it was important that you knew, because he’s pregnant and everything.”

“When was this?” 

“Last weekend.” 

“Thanks for telling me, Bucky. I really appreciate it.” 

Phil can’t sit next to Clint and not think about it. It’s all he can think about during the movie, and Phil doesn’t even know what they were watching. He didn’t even know it was over until Clint grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch. “Let’s go home, babe.” Clint says, before he picks Kaylee up. Phil nods and smiles. He doesn’t know if he even said goodbye to anyone. He vows, on the drive home, to protect Clint, no matter what. He won’t let that bastard get to him. Not now, not ever. He’d protect his mate.

_All I want is to keep you safe from the cold. To give you all that your heart needs the most. Let me raise you up. Let me be your love. May I hold you as you fall to sleep. When the world is closing in, and you can't breathe here. May I love you, may I be your shield. When no one can be found, may I lay you down._


	4. Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some new news about Clint's pregnancy! Let me know what you think.

One: Love and Family

Chapter Four: Lucky

Phil

_Lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been. Lucky to be coming home again._

Phil spends the entirety of the next day focusing on his family. He still hasn’t told Clint that he knew about the phone call. He tried to find differences in Clint’s behavior, but the man seemed totally content to pretend nothing had happened. Clint woke up happy, smiling as he went to get Kaylee up and ready for the day. He helped Phil make breakfast without any difference in behavior. They put Kaylee down for a nap, and the two of them spent time together while she napped.  

When she woke up, they went out to spend some time at a local playground. Kaylee loved the swings, and Clint took pictures as Phil pushed the happy baby. Phil was not afraid to be extra affectionate with Clint in public today. They held hands as they watched Kaylee climb up to the slide. Phil kissed Clint on the cheek as he scooped the girl up off the bottom of the slide. They cuddled on a park bench as Kaylee played in a nearby sandbox with another kid her age.  

They went home and made lunch together. Kaylee went down for another nap after lunch. Clint went to read a book in the living room, and Phil followed him with the newspaper, reading that with one hand on his mate’s leg. When Kaylee wakes up, they all settle down to watch some cartoons. Clint cuddles his daughter close, and Phil stares at the pair. So maybe Clint _was_ acting a little weird. He was very clingy to both Kaylee and Phil lately. Of course, pregnant omegas did tend to be clingy at the beginning of their pregnancies, so maybe it wasn’t so weird. But Clint never seemed to be that clingy before the past couple of days. 

They head to the doctors office next, where they have the first ultrasound appointment, that Phil would be there for, with Steve. When they get to the ultrasound room, Phil sits on the chair closest to the bed. Clint, Kaylee tucked in his arms, sits on the bed. Kaylee checks out the equipment, touching everything she can possibly reach, and pouting when Clint hands her to Phil. Phil takes the girl easily, tucking her onto his lap while his mate gets settled. After a while, Steve comes in. He’s holding a cup of coffee like it’s a lifeline and Clint immediately snorts a laugh when he sees the man’s face. Dark circles are under his eyes, and even Phil has to stifle a laugh at the sight. “Rough night?” he hedges. Steve sighs and sits down in his chair, taking a sip of his drink as he nods. 

“Are the twins getting more teeth?” Clint asks. Steve nods, smiles thinly. 

“You two are so lucky to be doing this one at a time. Twins are so hard. It’s double everything. I don’t remember what it’s like to get a full night’s sleep.” 

“Give it time, Steve. Soon they’ll be sleeping through the night, and you’ll look back and laugh at times like these.” 

“Sure,” he mutters into his mug. Then he looks up and smiles. Friend mode has been switched off, leaving doctor mode on Steve’s face. “I can’t believe we’ve waited so long for your first ultrasound. But you have been progressing pretty healthily, so I don’t think that there’s going to be any complications this time around.” Steve gets the equipment turned on. “Alright, let’s get started.” Clint assumes the normal position and Steve squirts some jelly on his stomach. He then sets the wand down and moves it around. “Oh,” he says as he stares at the screen. 

“What is it?” Phil asks with a frown. “Is something wrong?” 

There’s humor in Steve’s eyes as he turns back to them. He grabs at the monitor to show it to them. “So when I said twins were hard, I mean, they aren’t _that_ _hard_ ….” 

There, on the screen, are two little babies. Phil’s eyebrows shoot up, and Clint sucks in a sharp breath. Kaylee stares at the two of them, looking confused by their odd expressions. She lightly pats Phil’s cheek, and Phil’s eyes stare down at her. “Three kids?” he breathes. He looks up at Clint, who is now staring at him with a worried expression on his face. “Hey,” he says softly, taking his mate’s hand in his. “We can do this. Three kids. Wow.” 

“Yeah, wow.” Clint says. Now they are looking back at Steve, who is once again looking at the screen. 

“They look good, though. No heart problems, no problems at all that I can see. You have two healthy little babies, guys.” He flips a switch and the sound of the heartbeats fills the room. “I’ll print off some copies of this,” he says, standing. 

Before Steve can leave the room, Phil looks up at him, “Thanks, Steve.”

“Of course. Congratulations,” he smiles before disappearing out the door. Phil smiles and looks back at Clint, who is wiping the jelly off of his stomach. 

Clint gives him a nervous smile. That’s when Phil knows. _Clint is not acting the same._

_Lucky we're in love in every way. Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed._

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys still like this story! It's gonna get more plotty soon, I promise.

One: Love and Family

Chapter Five: Bless the Broken Road

Phil

_Every long lost dream led me to where you are. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars. Pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true; that God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you._

Phil lets the dog out when they get home, while Clint brings Kaylee to go feed the chickens. Lucky takes off across the property, running after the pair. Phil smiles at the sight, when Lucky reaches them and starts to lick Kaylee’s face. He can hear her squealing laugh from the porch. Phil goes to take care of the horses while they take care of the chickens. He pats Arrow on the head and smiles as Hawk snuffles at him. He fills their water and gives them hay, petting their necks as they eat. 

“Are we in over our heads?” Clint asks from behind him. Phil turns to look at the omega. He’s shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. It’s times like these that Phil is reminded of his mate’s age. It’s easy to forget; Clint is very mature and has been forced to grow up a lot over the past few years. But, at his core, he’s still a slightly awkward young man. 

“What do you mean?” he asks. Behind Clint, Kaylee is sitting in the grass with Lucky. 

“I mean, we have this property and all of these animals. And we have Kaylee and now we’re gonna have twins…. Aren’t you a little worried we can’t handle it?” 

Phil walks up to him and wraps him in a hug. Clint sighs and rests his head on Phil’s shoulder. “I don’t think we are in over our heads. Kaylee is an angel, and Lucky is one of the best dogs ever. The chickens don’t require much more than an occasional clean of the coop and a check for eggs every morning. I take care of the horses before work and we have a pretty good routine all around. All that is going to change is that we have a couple extra babies to add into the mix. We did good with Kaylee. We’ll do fine with the twins. What makes you think we won’t be okay?” 

“I dunno. I’m just worried, is all.” Something in Clint’s voice makes Phil pause and worry. 

“You mean, about your foster father?” Phil asks, and feels Clint tense up. He pulls out of the hug, and Phil hates the look in Clint’s eyes. 

“How do you know about that?” Clint asks slowly, cautiously. 

“Bucky told me yesterday. Don’t be mad at him, he was worried about you.” 

Clint’s eyes squeeze shut and Phil gently takes his hand. “I’m not mad at him. He’s right, I shouldn’t have kept it from you. I just didn’t want to make things harder than they need to be.” 

“Clint, you would never be able to make things harder by telling me something like that.”

“I just don’t want to be a burden,” he whispers, and Phil steps closer, so they are pressed chest-to-chest. 

“You will never be a burden, and you have never been a burden. We’ve talked about this. You know this. Why are you hurting yourself to think these things?”

“I know, I know. I just don’t want you to change your mind.”

His eyes are still shut, and Phil puts his hand on his cheek. “Open your eyes, darlin’.” Clint’s tear-filled eyes open. “I am never going to change my mind Clint. I’m here, as long as you’ll have me.” Clint suddenly flags his arms around Phil’s neck, and Phil holds on tightly. “I’ve got you. We’ll do all of this together. I’m not going anywhere.” 

_I think about the years I spent just passing through. I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you. But you just smile and take my hand. You’ve been there you understand. It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true._


	6. Little Do You Know part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how this story is taking a sharp turn. I've never been great at writing fluff, so....

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Six: Little Did You Know Part One

Clint

_Little do you know, how I'm breaking while you fall asleep. Little do you know, I’m still haunted by the memories. Little do you know, I’m trying to pick myself up piece by piece._

Clint tries to fall asleep that night. Phil is sleeping next to him. Clint can hear his even breathing, and tries to match his own breathing to it. But he is failing. He wants to cry. He can’t stop thinking about that phone call. _“I know where you live and I’m coming to take back what’s rightfully mine. Every barrier is now out of the way.”_ He doesn’t know what that means, and he’s not sure he wants to. He doesn’t know if he was even telling the truth. All he knows is that there is no way he should have been able to find Clint’s number. Tony had made sure that there was no way anyone could track him down from it. His name didn’t even belong to the number. 

Clint looks down at his sleeping mate and then rolls out of bed. He quickly sneaks out of the room. He sits at the kitchen counter with his laptop, opening his internet to Google. His fingers pause over the keys before he starts to type. He types _Jason Bane_ into the search bar. 

_663,000 results._

_That’s not going to be easy._ He then types _Samantha Bane_ into the search bar. And there, the first result, is a news clipping. It’s dated from three weeks ago. He clicks into it. 

**Woman Overdoses on Heroin in Brookhaven Home.**

_**Samantha Bane, age 31, died of a heroin overdose on Thursday in her Brookhaven home. She left a loving husband and two young foster children. Funeral arrangements have been made for Monday and donations to her family, who are missing her income, are able to be given to Jason Bane. Their two foster children are a boy and girl, age 13.** _

Clint runs to the bathroom and looses everything he’d had for dinner. _Two foster children? Age 13? They’ve been alone with that bastard for three weeks._ His hand cups over his bump, and he feels tears well up in his eyes. _Of course he’d get replacements for him. He was being selfish by running away. If he’d been there, he could have tried to prevent two more kids from having a life like his._  

Clint wakes up a couple of hours later to an empty bed. He gets up and walks to the kitchen. Phil is there, with Kaylee in her high chair. She’s eating some fruit and mini pancakes with her hands. Phil is reading his newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee with his fried eggs and toast. There are scrambled eggs sitting on the stove, and Clint smiles at his mate as he goes to claim them, like he’d usually do. “What are the two of you going to do today?” Phil asks.

“I’m gonna bring Kaylee to the park after her morning nap. Maybe we can bring you lunch at the office today,” he suggests. 

Phil smiles. “I’d love that.” 

Clint goes through his morning as per usual. Then he picks up lunch for his family and heads to Stark Tower. Clint stops at Nick’s office before he heads to Phil’s office. Nick’s on the phone when he gets there, and he’s going to turn around and leave but Nick holds up a hand. He freezes. Nick pull the phone from his ear. “Barton. Can I help you?” 

“Uh, yeah. I, um, wanted to talk to you after lunch, if you have time. It’s about lawyer stuff.” 

“Okay. Come back in forty minutes?” Nick asks, and Clint nods and steps out of the office. 

“Hey, Clint.” Phil greets when Clint enters his office. Kaylee smiles and reaches for Phil, so Clint hands her over. “Hey, baby girl!” He coos and tickles the girl under her arms. She laughs and Clint smiles. They eat lunch in relative silence, and Clint leaves forty minutes later. He has to sneak into Nick’s office, so Phil doesn’t see him. Nick closes the door behind him and gestures for him to sit down. 

“This is about your foster father.” Nick says. Kaylee smiles and reaches out for him. He holds his hand out, and Clint blinks owlishly at both his statement and the offer to take the little girl. But he hands her over and nods. “Phil told me that he called you and said he knew where you lived.”

“He… might have said some other stuff too.” Clint admits.

Nick raises an eyebrow at him. “I am obligated to record this. Do you consent to that, Clint?” 

“Yes, I do consent.” Clint says. Nick then waves his hand in a way that says _proceed_. Clint sighs. “He said he was going to take back what was, and I quote, “rightfully his.” He said there was nothing else getting between him and getting that.”

“If he is referring to you, he can’t get you back. You’re eighteen, a legal adult. No lawyer would even try to fight it. That’d been solicitation of humans.” 

“It wouldn’t be the first time he’d have bought a human.” 

“What?” Nick asks. He lets Kaylee play with his eye patch. 

“He bought the woman he married. Bought her as a sex slave. Forced her to marry him and have sex with him. Forced her to become a foster parent with him, so he’d have young people to… well, you know. He made her become a prostitute because she was “too old for him”.”

“And did she know what he did to you?” 

“I’m sure she did. I never told her. But she always looked upset that she had to leave me alone with him.”

“Do you think she would testify against him?”

Clint swallowed against the lump in his throat. He handed Nick the sheet of paper he’d folded up into his pocket. “She died of an overdose three weeks ago. I just found out last night.” He paused, gave Nick time to read the short article. “I think he made her overdose. She didn’t like taking drugs, he usually injected her himself.”

“We’re going to get you a better lawyer, but the recording will be a way to get the information to a lawyer without you having to tell all of this to a stranger, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Do you think he could know about Kaylee?” Clint stared at his daughter. She looked back at him with innocent eyes.

“No,” Clint answered honestly. 

“How certain are you?” 

“Pretty certain. The only way he could know I was pregnant would be if he dug through the trash can. I highly doubt he’d do that. He wouldn’t even touch his own trash.” 

“Do you think he’d do what he did to you to these young teenagers?” 

“Yes. I have no doubt in my mind that he’d do that.” Clint sighs and rests his head in his hands. “I should never have left without calling the cops.” 

“Clint, none of this is your fault.”

“But I could have been there, when these kids came. I could have tried to get them placed somewhere else. I could have taken all of the pain. I could have done it. I could have gotten them out. I could have saved them.” 

“No. You could not have.” Clint looks up at Nick, surprised. “Clint, you would have been hurt further. God only knows what he would have done to you. He was an evil and manipulative man. You did what you had to do, leaving and not looking back. You saved your daughter. She will never have to know life as a foster child. You will never have to go back. You both will be safe here.”

“I was selfish.” 

“No. You did it all for Kaylee. You acted selflessly. You saved your baby. She had a tough condition, prenatally. She may have died at birth. _You_ would have died when she was born. Then what would have happened?” 

“I don’t know.” 

…

Nick walks them down to the lobby. “I’ll get in contact with an old buddy of mine. He deals with cases of child abuse of all kinds. His partner deals with murder and solicitation cases. They’ll be able to help you out more than I can. I’ll give him your number?” 

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thank you.” 

“I’m glad I could help you, Clint.” Nick leaves then and Clint steps out of the building. He hasn’t even made it a block before he hears something he wished he’d never hear.

“Clint?” Clint freezes. “Is that really you?” Clint turns around and is face to face with the dirty grin that had been haunting his dreams. “That _is_ you. Oh son, I’m so glad we’ve been _reunited_. And what’s this _pretty_ _thing_ here?” Clint steps back and steps into someone. A hand rests on his shoulder. 

“Give her to me, Clint.” _Thank God, it’s Phil,_ is his last coherent thought before he feels like his mind is buzzing.

_Underneath it all I'm held captive by the hole inside. I’ve been holding back for the fear that you might change your mind. I’m ready to forgive you but forgetting is a harder fight._


	7. Little Do You Know part 2

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Seven: Little Do You Know Part Two

Phil

_I’ll wait, I'll wait. I love you like you've never felt the pain, I'll wait. I promise you don't have to be afraid, I'll wait. The love is here and here to stay. So lay your head on me._

Phil knew something was up when Clint mostly just picked at his eggs. It had been his favorite meal since he’d gotten pregnant, and it was weird to see him not eating it. He didn’t realize what was on his mind until he saw him disappear into Nick’s office after lunch. Nick had shut the door, which meant that it had to do with business, not a friendly chat. So Phil had kept tabs on the door. When it finally opened, he followed Clint and Nick down to the lobby. He followed Clint close by, just to make sure he got to the car safely. Clint didn’t get far before a man stopped him on the sidewalk. Phil got close enough to hear, “Oh son, I’m so glad we’ve been _reunited_. And what’s this _pretty thing_ here?” Phil paused behind Clint, who took a step back into him. He rested his hand on his shoulder. 

“Give her to me, Clint.” Phil says, and Clint seems relieved to hear him, immediately complying. Clint’s knees start to buckle and Phil has to grab his arm to keep him from falling. Another hand ends up on Clint’s other arm and Phil _growls_. The hand disappears and Phil then realizes how small it had been. A young boy is backing away, hands in the air and smelling like _fear_. “Sorry.” Phil apologizes. He only then looks at the group of three in front of him. The boy who’d been trying to help them had silver-dyed hair that was long, kind of like how long Clint’s hair had been when he’d met him. He was super skinny and relatively short. His face was still a little round, like he hadn’t yet hit puberty. The girl next to him looked about his age. She had long, dark brown hair. She was just as skinny, but had obviously already hit puberty. She was slightly taller than the boy, and looked just as terrified. The man was short and fat. He had grey hair that was in the style of a combover, or as close as it could come to one. His skin, a pale ivory, looked like it was oiled. He wears a disgusting grin, which feels like it can’t go alongside his dark blue suit. 

“And who might you be?” the man asks Phil.

“Phil Coulson. And you are?” Though Phil knew _who_ the man was, he had never heard his name before. 

“Jason Bane. How do you know my boy here?” 

“I’m not _your boy_.” Clint growls through clenched teeth. The man steps forward and grabs his arm. Phil growls again but the man simply grins wider. 

“You’ll _always_ be _my boy_.” 

“Get your hands off of him.” Phil warns. 

“Or what, pretty boy?” 

“Get you hands off my mate!” Phil roars, and Kaylee starts to cry. That sentence causes Jason to pause. Clint pulls out of his grip and grabs Phil’s hand. Phil holds on tightly to both him and the crying little girl. “Let’s go back to the tower.” They practically run back to the tower, where they are able to get past the front desk easily. 

Jason comes barging in behind them and tries to pass the desk. Security stares him down. “You can’t go back there without clearance, sir.” 

“That’s my kid, that’s my son!” Jason roars. 

“Dada!” Kaylee cries loudly, reaching for Clint. 

“Dad? You’re her dad?!” Jason yells. “That must mean…” He doesn’t finish his sentence as he once again grins. 

Maria is walking towards Clint and Phil, and she holds her arms out for Kaylee. Phil hands her over, shaking with rage. Clint is staring at the kids behind Jason, and Phil wraps an arm around his waist. “He’s not telling the truth,” Maria tells security, and Clint buries his face in Phil’s chest. 

Security escorts Jason out, but not before he yells, “Living in Stark Tower is a big upgrade, kid!” 

Phil feels relieved. _Jason thinks Clint lives here. He doesn't know about the farm._

Phil lifts Clint up and carries him to the elevator. Maria follows close behind them. 

 _Little do you know. I know you're hurting while I'm sound asleep. Little do you know. All my mistakes are slowly drowning me. Little do you know. I’m trying to make it better piece by piece. Little do you know. I, I love you 'til the sun dies._  


	8. Because You Live

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Eight: Because You Live

Phil

_Because you live and breathe. Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help. Because you live, my world has twice as many stars in the sky._

Phil wakes up in one of Tony’s spare rooms. Lucky is asleep at the foot of the bed. Nick had agreed to go pack some things for them and Tony had given up a few rooms for them. Nick had also agreed to care for the chickens and horses for them while they were staying at the tower. They thought it was best to let Jason believe that they lived at the tower. 

They were meeting with Nick’s friend and his partner today. The pair had quickly agreed to see them when they heard that Jason was in town. They were going to meet with them and then the lawyers would go meet with Jason’s lawyer, who had contacted them the other night. 

Now, Phil gets out of the empty bed, heading down the hall. He finds Clint sitting next to Kaylee’s pack and play. She was asleep, and Clint was simply watching her. Phil rests his hand on his back and sits next to Clint. “Hey, darlin’.” Clint buries his face in Phil’s shoulder. 

“What is he gonna do?” 

“I don’t know, Clint.”

“Is he gonna take her?” 

“I won’t let him do that, Clint. Nobody in their right mind would grant custody with what physical proof of abuse we have. Plus, it was illegal no matter what consent you _may_ have given. If he tried to claim parental rights, then he’d be confessing to statutory rape.”

“What do you mean, physical evidence of abuse?”

“Clint, when both Steve and the other doctor checked you out, they noted signs of abuse in your records. The other doctor took pictures. You were pretty out of it, focused on what you had been told about Kaylee’s heart. You might not remember….”

“They took pictures and I didn’t even notice it?” 

“You were upset. You weren’t really in a good place.” 

Clint sighs and leans back into Phil, who wraps his arms around his husband. Phil kisses the top of his head. “We’ll get through this. Together.” 

They meet Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr an hour later. Charles, a young man in a wheel chair, has bright blue eyes and has an air about him that just screams _alpha_. He wheels out of the elevator, with Tony talking to him about genetics and some case Charles must have worked. Tony is walking in between the two lawyers, one hand resting on his back and the other rubbing circles into his ever-growing stomach. He was super excited to be going in for his induction in just a few hours. Bruce, who was on Erik’s other side, was not so excited. He’d been a nervous wreck when Clint and Phil and Kaylee had showed up the past evening. He was terrified of complications or something else going wrong. He and Erik are talking about having crazy mates. Erik,  though near as tough seeming as Charles, is _not_ an alpha. He brings a scent that says _nervous omega._  

Phil nudges Clint forwards, and Clint shakes their hands as Tony and Bruce step back to leave the room. Kaylee smiles at them from her place on Clint’s hip, and giggles when Erik flashes a nervous smile at her. Charles smiles at Phil and Clint and says, “It’s very nice to meet the two of you. I admit that I was a tad bit surprised that Nick Fury was calling me, after not having contact with him since my wedding three years ago. But when he explained the situation to me, I knew that Erik and I were right for the job. Now, is there somewhere we can sit down and discuss this further?” 

“Of course,” Phil says, gesturing behind himself at the couch. “Let’s sit.” 

Clint is watching Erik out of the corner of his eye, Phil can see. He surprises Phil by asking, “Do you want to hold her for a bit?” 

Erik’s surprise is obvious, but his lips go tight in a nervous way, and he nods. “Thank you,” he says to Clint, who nods with a smile as he hands Kaylee to Erik. “Well, hello there, gorgeous.” Erik coos and Phil smiles. Charles looks surprised, himself, when Phil turns back to him. But he quickly goes serious. 

“Nick gave us a copy of the tape to listen to and he told us what happened with he confrontation the other day, so we know a bit about the situation. But let me get a bit more background from you, Clint. How long were you in foster care, and how long were you with the Banes?” Clint tells them a bunch of stuff about his early life and when he first arrived at the Banes’ place. Charles took notes and nodded as he listened, asking questions when needed. By the end, Charles and Erik know just about everything. “Alright. I think this and the pictures we will retrieve from the doctor’s office, along with the notes from both that doctor and your OBGYN will make a good case against him. But I do have to ask, what do you want out of this?”

Clint doesn’t look Phil’s way, even after he reaches out to take Clint’s hand. He stares straight at the pair of lawyers as he tells them what Phil hadn’t had the guts to ask. “I want him to be punished for what he’s done to me and what he’s done to those two children.” 

Charles frowns, as does Phil. “Well, we cannot know for sure if he has done anything to the-”

“He’s done it. I know he has.” 

Charles sighs and leans forward, putting his hand lightly on Clint’s knee. “We don’t have any physical proof, Clint, nor do we have an accusation from either of the children. If we had that, then we could talk about it. But the case would always be handled differently from yours, if that did happen.”

“What if I wanted custody of the kids?” Clint asks, and Phil chokes on his own spit. Clint glances at Phil now, as he coughs tries to wrap his head around that. That’s when Phil realizes that Clint’s been thinking about this for real. He seriously wanted to try to take these two kids in. 

“Well, I- Have you two talked about this?” Charles asks. The look Phil is giving Clint seems to be answer enough. “I’ll let the two of you discuss that when we are done here. Erik has some questions about Samantha now, and I will look into getting a meeting set up for you and the twins when we meet with Jason’s lawyer.” 

“Thanks,” Clint says with a nod. Erik starts to ask his questions while Phil tries to wrap his head around everything that was just discussed. _Clint wants custody of the two thirteen-year-olds? That would mean having two more kids, two more mouths to feed. What happened to the man who thought we wouldn’t be able to handle the two babies we already have on the way?_

Then, Phil realizes that they’d made it through a lot worse. He looked at his husband and daughter and thought, _yes, we will be able to do this._

_It's alright, I survived, I'm alive again. Cuz of you, made it through every storm. What is life, what's the use if you're killing time. I’m so glad I found an angel, someone, who was there when all my hopes fell. I wanna fly, looking in your eyes._


	9. My Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I have not been updating this as often. I have been hitting some pretty hard writers block with this story. Please forgive me. Hope you enjoy this short chapter.

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Nine: My Wish

Clint

_I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow. And each road leads you where you want to go. And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose; I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin’ ‘til you find the window. If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile. But more than anything, more than anything._

Clint sits in the waiting room, holding his daughter on his lap. He’s letting her play with the strings of his sweatshirt. Bucky is sitting across from him. Jamie is trying to stand and walk to Clint. Grant is trying to get Loki to pick him up, staring with his adorable smile of his. Loki is trying hard to resist it, but Clint knows that he’ll soon wear down and pick the boy up. Thor is sitting next to his mate, reading a random magazine off of one of the tables. Natasha is talking to Clint. “You’d think he was the soon-to-be-daddy, with all of his pacing,” she jokes, gesturing towards Phil, who was pacing back and forth near where they were waiting for Bruce to come announce the baby’s birth. 

“He’s weird.” Clint says with an eye roll. 

Bruce enters the waiting room a few minutes later with a huge smile on his face. He scratches the back of his neck and blushes at all the sudden attention everyone has put on him. “It’s a girl. She is seven pounds and nine ounces. 21 inches long.”

There’s a mummer of congratulations as the group takes turns hugging Bruce. Everyone takes turns going two adults at a time into the room to see Tony and the new baby. Clint gets to go in right after Natasha and Phil. He brings Kaylee and Loki joins them. Kaylee gazes down at the baby immediately, reaching her hands down to try to touch her. Clint squats down slowly, “Gentle hands, Kaylee.” His daughter obeys, hardly touching the newborn girl’s face at all with light fingers. “What’s her name?” Clint asks. 

Tony smiles and looks at the two men for the first time since they'd entered the room. “Her name is Quinn.” 

“Wow, that’s a cool name, huh Kaylee?” Clint asks, shifting his daughter in his arms. She looks up to him with a questioning gaze. “The baby’s name is Quinn,” Clint informs her, and she looks down at the baby again. 

“‘In,” Kaylee says sweetly, not able to quite get the newborn’s name right. Tony, Clint, and Loki laugh.

A few hours later, Clint and Phil return to the tower with Kaylee. Clint goes to start dinner after handing Kaylee to Phil. He hears Phil’s phone ring, and a few seconds later, his husband appears at the doorway. “Putting you on speaker,” Phil says and Clint turns around.

“We met with Jason’s lawyer,” Charles says. “Apparently, Jason was under the impression that he could take Clint away. His lawyer seemed a bit embarrassed to admit that that is what his client initially wanted. But since then, he has decided to focus his fight on Kaylee. He’s demanded a paternity test.”

“And we have to grant him that?” Clint asks. 

“Yes, by law he has the right to demand a paternity test if he has solid reason to believe that the child may be his. And considering what we are accusing him of, there is enough solid reason for him to hold that belief.”

Clint lets out a shaky breath, and Phil hugs him and sets the phone on the counter behind them. “Clint, just because he is getting a paternity test, that doesn’t mean he will be able to get any custody of Kaylee. With the case happening, he would never be able to see her without a chaperone. And we can even fight that. We will do all we can to protect your daughter, Clint. You have my word.”

_My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to. Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold. And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to, I hope you know somebody loves you. And wants the same things too. Yeah, this is my wish._


	10. I'll Stand By You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been posting but I am trying so hard to catch myself up on writing. I have a couple of plane rides coming up for a trip so hopefully I will have time to write during them.
> 
> In this chapter, you get to officially meet the twins! Let me know what you think about the chapter. Warnings for discussions of rape and abuse!

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Ten: I’ll Stand By You

Phil

_Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes. Come on and come to me now. Don’t be ashamed to cry. Let me see you through 'cause I've seen the dark side too. When the night falls on you. You don't know what to do. Nothing you confess. Could make me love you less._

A week later, Phil and Clint sit in the court room. A judge sits at the stand and says the words Phil’s been dreading to hear all week. “The results of the paternity test concludes that Mr. Banes is the biological father of Kaylee Jane Coulson.” Jason whoops and hollers from across the room, and Phil almost growls. Jason’s lawyer is beet red and is stammering out apologies to the judge, trying to control his client. “Mr. Banes, if you do not cease that behavior, I will have you thrown out of my courtroom.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” Jason says, but his tone and expression don’t show an ounce of regret. 

“I understand that there is an upcoming case against Mr. Banes that may prove that he is an unfit father,” the judge says and Charles nods. “Now, I am not here to discuss those matters. However, I will hear what Dr. Xavier has to say regarding custody of the child.”

Charles clears his throat and stands. “Thank you, your honor. At this time, my partner and I believe that what’s best for Miss Kaylee Coulson is to remain under the sole care of the only parents she has ever known. With the pain of an upcoming trial, we believe that subjecting her to meeting a new person who is likely going to wish she address him as her father will be too confusing. I request that Mr. Banes continues to have no contact with the child.” Charles nods at the judge and sits down. 

“What?!” Jason’s yell echoes through the room. Clint flinches lightly into Phil’s side. “But she’s _mine_!” 

“Given the circumstances, I am inclined to agree with the judgement of Dr. Xavier and Mr. Lehnsherr. Kaylee Coulson will continue to live in the care of Clint and Phil Coulson. The matter can be brought up again after the case against Mr. Banes is closed.” 

Charles once again stands, and Clint and Phil follow suit. Jason’s lawyer has to pull him into a standing position. 

A few days later, Clint and Phil arrive at the court house. Erik meets them by the door and fixes another toothy smile at Kaylee, who lifts her arms out to him. He accepts her easily, and looks up at Phil and Clint with a smaller smile. “This way,” Erik says, gesturing to a hallway. They follow him through the hall until they come to stand outside a room that is marked as “family meeting room 2”. “Charles is in there with the twins and a social worker. She’s going to stay in there while you two meet with the twins. Charles is explaining to them what is going to happen and who you are.”

“And we can ask them questions about Jason?” Clint asked, and Phil glances at him out of the corner of his eye. He looks a little nervous, like he suddenly isn’t sure of himself. 

“Yes, but they can refuse to answer any questions that they want.” Clint nods, and Phil smiles. “Charles and I will be in the next room with Jason’s lawyer. He can’t come in during the meeting, but he has a right to be there. The social worker will only be able to interfere if they ask her for help or if you cross a line and the kids are obviously uncomfortable.” There’s a knock on the door and Erik steps aside as Charles comes out of it. “Ready?” Erik asks. 

“Yeah. Can you keep Kaylee while we do this? For a while, at least?” Clint asks. 

“Of course we can.” Charles replies with a smile. They enter another door then, leaving them to open the door and get started. Phil reaches out to take hold of Clint’s hand, giving it a squeeze before turning the door handle. 

The room is painted light yellow, and there are toys all throughout the room. There’s a table that is a little shorter than a normal sized table, but it’s not quite as small as one you’d see in an elementary school. In two of the table’s chairs are two young teens. A social worker, a kind looking young beta woman, sits in a chair near the table. In two of the chairs at the table are two teenagers. The boy is sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. Phil can’t be sure if this is a way for the boy to come off as tough or uninterested, or if it is a way of trying to protect himself. The girl is sitting up straight as can be, hands on her lap. She turns to look at them when they enter the room, unlike her brother, but her expression is blank. Phil smiles politely, albeit a little nervously, and tugs Clint to the table. 

“Hello, my name is Phil Coulson. This is my mate, Clint.” Clint suddenly seems to come out of his stupor at the sound of his name, and smiles at the two teens with a big, genuine smile. The girl seems to look them over, as if she was trying to read their minds. Finally, she seems to make a decision.

“I’m Wanda,” she says, “and this is my brother, Pietro.” She offers up a seemingly shy smile. It’s small, but it is enough for Phil to take it as a good sign. Pietro stares at his sister, as if offended that she even replied to them. 

“I’m glad we got this chance to meet you two.” Phil said, sitting down. Clint sits next to him. 

“We don’t really know who you are… or why we are here,” Wanda says. “I mean, they told us what kinds of things you’d ask us, but….”

“I lived with Jason and Sam for almost two years.” Both twins look up at Clint when he says that. He smiles softly, sadly even. “How long have you lived with him?”

“Ten months,” Wanda replies. Pietro is now staring at Clint, eyes wide. 

“You know that there’s a case being built against him, right?” They both nod. “That’s because of me. I am not aloud to tell you all of the details, and I have to tell you that he _will_ lie to you about me. Do you believe me when I say that?” They both nod. Clint takes a deep breath, “I was about fifteen when I moved in with them. I saw things and experienced things in that house that were truly horrible. I ran away about year and a half ago. I ran away because I had to protect myself and my unborn baby.” 

Both teens look completely surprised at that, but they look sad as they start to wrap their heads around it. “He raped you,” Pietro says. There’s no question in his tone. 

“We’re here because we want to make sure that the two of you are okay. We want to make sure you’re going to be safe,” Phil admits. 

“Has he hurt you?” Clint asks. Phil watches the teens as tears build up in Wanda’s eyes and as Pietro’s head falls down to his chest. When the two remain silent, the social worker shifts like she’s going to interrupt, but Clint talks. “There are so many people here who can help you. You’re safe here. As long as you are with me, I won’t let Jason touch you. And we have two awesome lawyers here who can make sure you are protected when you aren’t around me. And this lovely woman,” he gestures to the social worker, “really wants the best for you. You can tell us whatever you need to, whatever you want to.” 

Pietro suddenly shouts, “He raped me every time Samantha left the house! He rapes me every night before he goes to sleep! It didn’t matter to him that I haven’t even hit puberty yet, he didn’t even care,” he barks an angry laugh, shaking his head. “He smacks me around like nobody’s business. Nobody has ever noticed, nobody ever cared except for Samantha. Why would you be any different?!” 

“Do you want to stop this meeting, Pietro?” the social worker asks, touching his shoulder. He shakes her off and jumps to his feet, spooked out of his mind. Clint flinches beside Phil. 

“No! I want to know…” he turns to stare at Clint. “I want to know why you care. You got out, why would you ever want back into this mess?” 

“Because I know how it felt, Pietro. I never would have left if it weren’t for my baby. I would have stayed there.” Clint pauses for a moment. “I can’t help but feel guilty towards what’s happened to you two. If I had been there….” 

“No,” Pietro says through clenched teeth. “You couldn’t have stopped him.” 

There’s a long silence in the room. The only sound is the heavy breathing of Pietro and the sobs of his sister. Wanda finally breaks the silence. “He didn’t hurt me the way he did Pietro. Not at first, at least. But, a week before Sam died, I hit puberty. She was home with us, when the first cycle hit. Jason wasn’t there. She brought me to the doctors, and got me on suppressants. She thought he wouldn’t know about it.” She wipes her tears with her sleeve. “He found out the morning that Sam died. He was furious. He raped me in front of her. He tied her up and raped me. Pietro was locked in our bedroom. She had never seen it before, I think. She never saw him rape Pietro. He’d only raped me once before and had decided he didn’t like it, and she never saw that either. He’d hit me, but usually just enough to get me to shut up and hide in the closet while he raped Pietro. She knew, she had to know, she probably even heard. But she never, ever saw. That day, she saw. After he was done, he locked me in the bedroom and raped Pietro in front of her. He kept the two of us locked up the rest of the day, let us go to the bathroom in the middle, but kept us in the bedroom after that.” 

“He came in and told us to be quiet for when the police showed up. He said there was an issue with Samantha,” Pietro said. “They didn’t even know we were in the house.” He pauses and looks up at Clint and Phil. “What’s gonna happen to us?” 

His face is innocent. Phil looks between the two teens. “We’re going to help you.” 

_I'll stand by you. I’ll stand by you. Won’t let nobody hurt you. I’ll stand by you._


	11. Perfect

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Eleven: Perfect

Phil

_I’m not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start. I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?_

Phil watches Clint when they leave the room. He doesn’t take his eyes off of his mate as they meet with Charles and Erik after the meeting with the twins. The social worker was ordering an immediate removal for the twins from their home, and was in the process of finding another home in the city for them. Phil knew it pained Clint to know that the twins were going to be put in another home, with strangers who didn’t know anything about the situation, and would only get to know that they were currently running a case against Jason. But there was really nothing they could do right now for them, except support them and keep meeting with them. He wasn’t registered foster parent, and Clint wasn’t even old enough to be a foster parent. They could both legally adopt them, if everything worked out for them in court, but they couldn’t get custody yet. 

Charles is looking at him expectantly all of a sudden, one eyebrow raised in question. Erik gives him a tight-lipped smile. “Sorry?” Phil croaks.

“Quite alright, Phil. I asked if you wanted to continue to pursue custody of the twins. Now there is a basis for it, so we need to discuss it.” 

“I-” Phil started, but Clint leaned forward and interrupted.

“Can we get some time to talk about it by ourselves?” Clint asked. “You know, mate to mate?” 

“Of course. We have time in our schedule a few days from now, would you be ready to discuss it then?”

“Yeah.” Clint says, and Phil goes back to staring at him. He picks Kaylee up off the floor and stands up, reaching out to shake both the hands of the lawyers, who seem surprised at the quick exit Clint’s trying to make. “We’ll see you then.” With that, Clint is turning towards the door, and Phil just sits and blinks for a second, before standing and whispering apologies to the lawyers as he shakes their hands, following Clint out of the office.

Clint silently looks out the car window as Phil drives them back to the Stark Tower. He doesn’t say a word to Phil, who accepts the silence but can feel the tension in the air. Clint gets out of the car the second Phil puts it into park, and unbuckles Kaylee fast and walks towards the elevator. Phil once again feels dumbfounded as he stares after his husband. _What the heck is going on?_

Clint seems to be calm, as far as Phil can tell, so he doesn’t know what this behavior is all about. Clint disappears into the room Kaylee is sleeping in, and only greets Lucky in the form of patting his head. The dog even stares after Clint before turning to look at Phil, as if _he_ doesn’t even understand what is going on. Clint doesn’t come back into the living room after Phil’d expected him to, so he searches his mate out. 

He finds Clint sitting on the bed in the room they are using. His head is in his hands, and from the sound filling the room of quiet sniffling, he’s crying. His shoulders are shaking and Phil finally understands. _He’s having a panic attack but didn’t want to do it around Kaylee or the twins._ Phil walks over to the bed and sits down next to him, pulling him close and tucking Clint’s head under his chin. Clint releases a loud sob as soon as he does so, and Phil gently shushes him. “Shh, I’ve got you. You’re okay, Kaylee is okay, the twins will be okay. You helped them, Clint. You _knew_ , and now they are going to be taken away from Jason. He’s finally going to get punished for what he’s done to you all. But you need to calm down, darlin’. This isn’t good for you to hold this in and then respond with such strong emotions. This isn’t good for your babies.”

Clint sniffles and nods in acknowledgement. Phil continues to hold him as he calms down. After a few long moments, Phil can’t really feel any tension in Clint’s body. “I thought I was over these panic attacks.”  

“You just experienced something that reminded you of your own experiences, Clint. It was bound to upset you, and you held it in too long. Charles and Erik would have understood if you cried. They would have given us time; they would have watched Kaylee for a few minutes and let you calm down.” He pauses, staring down at Clint, who’d moved away from him now, just sitting near him on the bed. “It’s okay, you know?” 

“You aren’t going to leave?” 

“Clint, what do I have to do to make sure you know I love you and won’t leave you?”

Clint sighs. “You already do so much for me, Phil. I just don’t understand why you’d want to stay with me, after what happened at the meeting. It didn’t change anything for me, Phil. I still want to adopt them.”

“It didn’t change anything for me either, Clint. If anything, it made me sure that I wanted to adopt them with you.” 

Clint looks up in surprise. “Really?”

Phil smiles and leans forward to kiss Clint’s lips. “Really.” 

When their meeting comes with Charles and Erik, they tell them that they want custody. And then they begin to get ready for that part of the trial. 

_And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong._


	12. In My Daughter's Eyes part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all about the trial!
> 
> Obviously, talk about Clint's past as well as some more details about what happened to the twins. Please note that I am not an expert on how trials like this go and did the best I could with information online. Also, in interest of the story, which is fictional, I changed some things, so accuracy is not 100% there. 
> 
> So sorry for the late updates. I won't try to make any excuses, as it has been far too long. But I should be back on track now, as school is over and I am at the end of my recovery from a surgery, so I should have plenty of time to write.

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Twelve: In My Daughter’s Eyes part one

Clint

_In my daughter's eyes I am a hero. I am strong and wise and I know no fear. But the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me. I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes._

They have a few more meetings with the twins, before the trial. Clint and Phil don’t get to learn any more about the stuff that happened between Jason and them, because it may create a conflict of interest in the trial. But they do get to talk to them about _them_. They get to meet Kaylee at the second meeting, and meeting her even lightens Pietro’s spirit enough to get him to smile and interact. The kids get along well with her, and Clint practically beams with excitement when he announces that they are going to have two more babies soon. Wanda and Pietro are genuinely happy for them. At their last meeting, they talk to the kids about their plan to try to adopt them. 

Pietro stared blankly at the pair, Wanda blinks at them, and Clint bites his lip nervously. The twins exchange a glance and Clint decides to tell them more. “If you don’t want us to adopt you, we won’t make you. But we’d like to. We already have Kaylee, and we have twins of our own on the way. But you’ll make our family, well, you’ll make it complete. We’d not make you call us anything you don’t want to. We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. It’s just, we’d like to be able to help you, and we’ll help make sure no one can ever hurt you like that again.”

Wanda looks down at the floor and quietly says, “I know I’d like that.”

Clint feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Pietro smiles softly, “I’d like that too.” Clint’s heart feels like it’s soaring. “I always wanted to live in a big family.” 

Before long, the trial had arrived. Clint was a ball of nervous energy while they drove from the tower to the courthouse. Phil leans over and puts his hand on his knee as he drives, but it doesn’t keep Clint’s leg from bouncing. Erik and Charles meet them in the parking ramp, and Charles helps Clint get Kaylee out of the back seat. “There’s no need to be nervous, Clint. The rape allegations are going to be brought up in this part of the trial and they will address Mr. Bane’s custody request. Erik is going to sit with Kaylee behind the three of us and he will take over once the first set of charges have been taken care of. Two trials seemed to work best in this situation. When the jury ultimately finds him guilty, his parental rights to Kaylee will be null and void and you’ll be free to try to adopt the twins. After that, Erik will be mostly doing the other trial, about the solicitation and murder of Samantha.” 

“Okay,” Clint had to admit that it did ease a little of his tension. 

The twins show up with their social worker, and sit in the back of the room. They smile tiny smiles at Clint and Phil as they walk by, and Clint smiles softly in response. Charles leads them to their seats and Erik sits behind them with Kaylee. Jason’s lawyer sits in his seat across the room, and Clint feels his palms begin to sweat. Before long, they bring Jason in. He glares at Clint, who feels himself try to get smaller in his seat, until Charles sets his hand on his back, silently telling him to sit up taller. The judge comes in next, and they all stand for her. 

Charles calls Clint up first, to give his account of his half of the story. Clint hates that he has to go through this pain again, but knows it’s the only way to save his daughter and the twins. Charles sits back down after the story, and Jason’s lawyer approaches him. “You said that you lived in that house with the Banes for two years, did you not?”

“I did.”

“Why would you stay in a house for almost _two years_ with someone if they did these horrible things to you?” 

“Because I was fifteen when I moved in with them. And the foster care system is already messed up, they don’t check on a kid and ask them if something like that is happening. I didn’t know how to leave.”

“But you did leave.”

“After I found out that I was pregnant with his child as a result of rape.” 

“And how are we to know if you were really raped?” 

Clint glares, “Because there is proof. I had a daughter. I went to a doctor, who found scarring internally. There are pictures, as well as the notes of two separate doctors.”

“And one of these doctors is your friend, yes?”

“Yes. But at the time I went to him, I did not know him and he did not know me.”

“Why didn’t your foster mother call her husband out on these terrible acts?”

“She was not an equal to him, not in his eyes. He would not have listened to her, and he would have hurt her if she told the police. That’s why I never went to the police, same threat.”

“Why do you think she wasn’t an equal in his eyes?”

“Because he _bought_ her.”

The lawyer laughs and walks towards the jury. “You mean to accuse my client of purchasing a human being, in addition to the child rape and child abuse charges?” 

“He’s already been charged for that, separately from this trial, because _I_ was not _purchased_ , nor were the other two victims.” Clint answers. He sees Phil smiling, encouraging him. “That has nothing to do with this.”

“But that is the reason you use to back up your reasoning of Mrs. Bane’s lack of response?”

“Yes, because it is the truth.” 

“I have no further questions at this time, your honor.” 

Clint gets to sit back down, and Charles and the other lawyer present and dispute evidence other than testimonies for a while. There is a recess for lunch, and the social worker invites them all to join her and the twins for lunch. Charles, Erik, Phil, Clint, Kaylee, the social worker, and Wanda and Pietro all sit around a table in a nearby restaurant. Charles and Erik quickly tell them all what will happen next at the trial, where the twins will be speaking separately. “Now,” Charles tells them, “the two of you have no need to be worried. I will have you each speak about your story from your point of view. I won’t ask you any questions unless you forget to say a part of your story that you told me. But his lawyer will ask questions, just like they did with Clint. I will make sure that he does not ask any unfair questions, but it is in your best interest that you answer all of his questions. After both of you have finished your testimonies, the court will adjourn for the day.”

The twins both nod and pick at their food. “You’ll be fine.” Clint assures them. 

Wanda goes first, and she does good with her story, not forgetting or changing any details. When the lawyer comes to question her, however, she becomes nervous. She won’t look at him, or at anyone really, choosing to stare at her lap. “You said that Mr. Bane raped you less often than your brother. Did he ever tell you why?”

“He said he didn’t like it. That it wasn’t the same as doing it to a boy. He only really did it to me to scare me.”

“Did he tell you that?” 

“No.”

“Then it’s just speculation. That is not acceptable evidence it court, Ms. Maximoff.” 

Wanda looks up then, and Clint sees the tears on her face. “I’m s-sorry.” 

Jason barks a crude laugh, “You’d better be sorry, _little girl._ ” 

“Order in the court!” the judge barks. She turns furious eyes on Jason and his lawyer. “I will no have that behavior in my court.”

 

“Sorry, your honor,” the lawyer says. He turns back to Wanda, grinning.

She’s questioned some more, and all of her answers come hesitantly and filled with crying. Pietro walks up to her when she steps down and he goes to step up, and he hugs her tightly, rubbing her back. Clint has to swallow harshly around a lump in his throat. Pietro does even better than Wanda, and answers the questions thrown his way with ease. They are out of there before they know it. 

The next day is the day that Phil, Steve, the other doctor, and Fury speak about Clint. Another doctor who’d been assigned to examine both of the twins was there to speak to their physical proof. Their doctor speaks first, outlining what he’d seen and they asked him for his professional opinion, about whether there was enough evidence to point to rape and abuse. “In my professional opinion, the two children in question have had injuries that do point to the reports they gave about their rapes and abuses. The injuries, both internally and externally, do line up with the timeline the children have provided.” 

“Thank you, doctor.” 

Clint’s doctor comes up next and provides the same answers. Steve sits up there next, and has to give both his professional statement and statement as someone Clint had confided in. “Mr. Barton was very timid when I first met him, and both his psychological and physical states mad me believe that he’d been sexually abused. As a gynecologist who does not specialize in traumatic sexual abuse, I came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, raped. His internal injuries, the only injuries I can attest to from my profession, lined up with the timeline he provided, as well as the extent of the sexual abuse.”

“And you are one of Mr. Barton’s friends, yes?” Jason’s lawyer asked. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Did his story ever change or become unbelievable as time went on?”

“No, it did not. I personally watched him recover from his abuse and it is congruent with how people in his situation often get over trauma to this extent.”

“No further questions.” 

Fury speaks next. “What is the nature your relationship with Mr. Barton?” Jason’s lawyer asks. 

“I work with his husband, and am friend’s with his husband as well.”

“How much contact had you had with Mr. Barton prior to him coming to your office to make a statement against my client?” 

“Not much. I greeted him when he came by the office to see Phil. We had a couple of conversations from time to time.”

“Nothing more than that? No friendship?”

“No, I would call him a friendly acquaintance.”

“Okay. And what happened that day at the office?”

“He came in and asked if I could talk to him after he ate with his mate. I told him he could, and I knew it was about his foster father, because Phil had mentioned that morning to me that he’d called and said he knew where he lived. He said it was more than that. I recorded his statement. It was all on the tape you listened to yesterday.”

“And you recorded it because…?”

“Because I am not the kind of lawyer that can deal with this type of situation.”

“But you knew he was going to tell you about his foster father?”

“That’s what I just said, yes.”

“How?”

“I told you that I talked to Phil that morning and he told me that his foster father had called him.” Fury looks aggravated. “What is your point, councilor?”

“I’m just trying to figure out how much you knew of this situation before he told you everything on that tape.”

“No more than that he’d run away from an abusive foster father when he got pregnant as a result of rape. And what little his husband knew of the phone call.”

The lawyer leans in close, and Nick stares him dead in the eye. “No further questions, your honor.”

After a brief recess for lunch, Phil goes up on the stand. “Mr. Coulson, I understand that your relationship with Clint started as one of a good samaritan sort. Is that right?” Charles asked. 

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Tell me about when you first met Clint.” 

Phil shifts in his seat. “He was in an alleyway a week before Thanksgiving. Someone was trying to rape him.” 

“What did he look like at the time?”

“He looked physically weak, like he hadn’t been eating enough for himself and his baby. His belly was obviously swollen from pregnancy. His hair was long and dirty, and his clothes were worn down and dirty as well. But he looked very young, and he was pregnant and obviously alone, so I offered for him to come stay with me.”

“What happened when he went to your apartment?” 

“After much persuasion to come with me into my apartment in the first place, I convinced him to take a shower to get cleaned up. He had a panic attack when he was in the shower; he tried to scrub himself clean so hard that he started to bleed. I called my sister, who is in medical school, studying to become an ER doctor. She walked me through first aid and recommended I make him a couple of appointments, which I took him to the next morning.”

“What happened there, besides you receiving the results we have already discussed?” 

“He had another panic attack, and we found out his baby’s heart was weak.”

“What did you have to do for that?” 

“We went to weekly visits to Steve for a long time for the baby’s heart problems.”

“What happened as your relationship changed?”

“Eventually, he told me everything about his foster father, and his life before and after that. We became friends. I cared deeply for him. I figured out, as time went on, that I was in love with him. When he found out that giving birth to his daughter might kill him, we learned that we both had the same kind of feelings for each other. Kaylee was born and luckily her heart condition turned out to be a gestational heart problem. Unluckily, Clint had some complications from the birth, but he pulled through. We got married and bonded not long after that.”

“What happened recently with Clint and his foster father?”

“A friend of ours told me that Clint had received a call from his foster father. I confronted Clint eventually and he told me that he said he knew where we lived. I followed Clint out of the Stark Tower but I was at a pretty far distance. I saw Mr. Bane approach him and noticed how his whole body language changed. By the time I got there, I got to hear the word reunited and then he asked who Kaylee was. He was set into an angry rage when I showed up and followed us back into the tower, where he figured out who Kaylee was. A few days later, he tried to get custody after forcing a paternity test.”

He’s questioned and easily answers them, and soon enough the day is over. The last day of the trial would include Jason going on the stand. 

Clint and Phil bring Kaylee back to the tower and they eat dinner with all of their friends. Bucky goes with Clint to tuck Kaylee in for bed. He has the twins set up in with Kaylee for the night, so they could all go together to the trial in the morning. Clint sets Kaylee down on a changing mat and begins to get her ready for bed, while Bucky does the same with Jamie. Grant is still awake with Steve, getting a bath. Bucky gets done dressing his baby first, setting her in her portable bed after kissing the top of her already-asleep head. Clint holds Kaylee, who is close to sleep already, close to his chest. Bucky watches him with a sad smile, and Clint looks him in the eye. “She’s my miracle, Bucky. I don’t know who I’d be without her, or where I’d even be without her.”

“I know, Clint. It’s going to be alright. It’s going to be a short court session, and then we will all go out somewhere to take your mind off of it while we wait to hear back about a final decision.” He walks up to him and sets his hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. You’re going to help those twins, and this is going to help you, to get your past behind you. Then you can focus on being a growing family.”

Clint smiles softly and sets Kaylee down. “Thanks, Bucky.” He follows Bucky out of the room and shuts off the lights. He whispers into the dark room, “Goodnight baby girl.”

 _This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak. I find reason to believe, in my daughter's eyes._  


	13. My Best Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the rest of the trial! Again, I am straying from a typical trial, as I'm not an expert. Hope you like the chapter. Comments and kudos make me super happy, especially now that I've been writing more of this story again!

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Thirteen: My Best Friend 

Phil

_I never had no one I could count on. I’ve been let down so many times. I was tired of hurtin’; so tired of searchin’, ’Til you walked into my life. It was a feelin’ I'd never known. And for the first time, I didn't feel alone._

Bright and early the next morning, Phil watches their entire group of friends rush about. They are all trying to get ready to head down to court with them. He stands back and watches everyone scramble about, holding Kaylee on one hip. She stares up at him. “Everybody’s so crazy today, aren’t they?” She smiles. “Yeah, but we love them all, huh?” She laughs and pats his face. “This is a very serious matter, Kaylee. There’s no time to be silly,” he says in a mock serious tone, and she laughs again. He smiles. “Okay, maybe there’s a little time.” He then begins to tickle her and she squeals with laugher. 

“I hope you two are ready to go.” Phil looks up to see Clint standing there with his hands on his hips, smiling lovingly. 

“Of course we are. We’re used to getting ready for court. The others are thinking too much into this.” 

“Whatever you say,” Clint said with an eye roll and a smile. 

Phil smiles and stands up, kissing his cheek. Kayla squeals in excitement, and Phil leans down and kisses her cheek too. He reaches a hand out and touches Clint’s stomach. He’s never felt more at home.

Three hours later, they all sit around a hibachi grill. Tony holds Quinn close, kissing her tiny head as he smiles at something Bruce said. Thor sits with his hand resting on Loki’s stomach, and Loki tries to remove it with a light glare. Natasha holds Grant, who plays with Bucky’s hair by leaning towards him. He smiles and bounces Jamie on his knee. The twins are sitting next to Charles and Erik. Erik sits next to Clint and Charles has his arm wrapped around him. Phil, who is sitting on the other end of the grill with Kaylee can tell they are talking about something that was not the case. Clint is smiling and Erik flashes him one of his shark smiles. Charles leans forward and rests his hand over Erik’s stomach. _Ah, pregnant then._ Steve elbows Phil and says, “This is it, huh?”

“Hmm?” 

“You’ll be able to have a family now. After that performance from Bane today? All of his rights to all three kids will be taken away. They’ll all be yours, right?”

Phil looks over at the twins and then down at Kaylee, whose bright eyes are staring at the little performance going on on the grill. He looks back over at Steve. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Are you happy?” 

“I will be,” he says with a nod and a soft smile. “I’ve been working with Nick Fury and Maria Hill on setting up a room for the twins. Since we haven’t gone home ourselves, I figured I’d take up their offer on setting up a room fit for two young teens. They repainted it and set up two twin beds for them, with new bedding and everything. They bought two dressers and put one of them in the closet. Figured that they could duel it out for the closet and dresser combination. The other dresser is bigger. They set up a bookcase too, thought we could take them to the store and let them pick out a bunch of books. They’ll probably need new clothes, too. God knows that Clint didn’t have too many good clothes when he moved in with me. I’m sure it is the same for them.”

“You’ve thought a lot about this. I thought for sure that this was all Clint, wanting to adopt them. But you want it, don’t you?”

“More than anything right now. I want us to all be a big, happy family. Me, Clint, Kaylee, Wanda and Pietro, and our two babies. I can’t picture my future without all of them.”

Almost immediately after lunch, Charles received a phone call. When he hung up, he turned to Clint and said, “The jury has reached a verdict. They want us all there in half an hour to hear it.”

Clint is nervous after that, and Phil has to reach over and hold his hand while they walk back to the courthouse. Clint throws him a nervous smile that doesn’t come close to being real, but Phil keeps holding his hand. Soon enough, they are standing for the judge. One of the members of the jury stands up when he’s asked for the verdict. “After much consideration and deliberation, the jury has found the defendant guilty of all charges.” 

Clint’s head pops up, and he turns around to quickly look at Phil, who leans forward and hugs him close. Phil lets him go out of the hug and leans forward to shake the hand of a wide-smiling Charles. 

“In that case, all of his rights to the three children have been revoked and he will be sentenced to a minimum of forty two years in state penitentiary. Wanda and Pietro Maximoffs’ parental situation will be moved to family court. Good luck.” 

Clint turns around and Phil turns with him, where Erik hands over Kaylee with a smile. Clint holds her tightly and kisses her head. Phil smiles and claps a hand down on Erik’s shoulder, before turning to the twins. “If you’ll have us…” Phil says softly, and they smile. He leans forward and pulls both into a hug over the top of the rows. 

Clint and Phil go home that night. Lucky is excited to finally be home, as is Kaylee. The pair play in the yard, Lucky running circles around the girl. She laughs and laughs and falls to the ground, causing Lucky to rush forward and lick her face as she squeals with laughter. Phil turns to Clint, who is watching the pair with a soft smile. He wraps his arm around his husband and kisses the top of his head. “I love you, Clint.” 

_You're more than a lover. There could never be another, to make me feel the way you do. Oh, we just get closer. I fall in love all over, every time I look at you. I don't know where I'd be, without you here with me. Life with you makes perfect sense. You’re my best friend. You’re my best friend, oh yeah._


	14. I Won't Let Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another short chapter. Again, I won't make excuses for the slow updates. Just know that I do plan on finishing this story. It's just a slow process for me.

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Fourteen: I Won’t Let Go

Phil

_It's like a storm that cuts a path. It breaks your will. It feels like that. You think you're lost. But you're not lost on your own, you’re not alone._

A week after the trial, they are in family court. Erik holds Kaylee as he once again sits behind them, this time filling out paperwork for his case against Jason about Samantha. Wanda and Pietro get to stand next to Clint and Phil and Charles this time, and Phil finds himself trying to comfort the nervous kids while they wait. “Whatever happens, we will do our best for you,” he says. And, “It’s okay, we’ve made it this far already.” And, “If they say no, we’ll fight it.” 

The judge comes in shortly after that, and starts right away. “I’ve been reviewing your files. It’s clear that the two of you care for these children, so I have no objections to this adoption being finalized. Someone from social services will be making five home visits. The first will happen before the children can go home with you, but it will take a few days to get the adoption finalized anyways. The other four will happen over the course of your first year as their parents, to make sure the family is doing well and nothing bad is happening. Does anyone have any questions?”

Clint and Phil just blink, confused. They didn’t know it would be so fast. They’d thought they’d have to do more here than just be approved and sent to go do paperwork, but they shake their heads just the same. “Good, good luck with your new family.” 

Charles leads their group to a room not too far away. He sits down with them and the school worker and explains to the group how the process is going to work. They will have to do a lot of paperwork that will take several days to process. In the meantime, they will have a social worker visit their home and decide if it is ready for the twins to move in. If not, they will recommend instructions. Should the home be unlivable in general, they’d have a bigger problem. But Charles had been there and knew that was not the case at all. Then they will have more paperwork and after it is all processed, they should be able to bring them home. 

They are given some time alone to talk to the twins, for which both are very grateful. They had yet to really get to talk to them about anything going on, and they wanted to know how they were doing. When they were alone, Clint leaned forward and held his hand out to Pietro, who stared at it for a minarets. Clint started to move to pull his hand away, but then Pietro rested his hand in Clint’s. Phil smiles softly. 

“How are you doing with all of this?” Clint asks softly. 

Pietro swallows visibly. “I’m doing alright. It’s hard… having heard all that’s happened with him… but having him gone is amazing.” 

“I know, kiddo. But how are you feeling, having had to vocalize this? Having had to sit through all of that?”

“It was hard,” Wanda admitted, “for both of us. But we knew we’d end up here, with you. So we powered through it, so we could get this.”

“This family, the two of you and Kaylee, and the little babies, you’re what helped us through this. You’ve given us so much. You have no idea,” Pietro said quietly. 

“I do, Pietro. It’s what Phil gave me, what my daughter has given me. We’re going to be here for you, and we’ll make sure that you guys get all that you could ever need, okay? We’re going to be the family that we all deserve, the family we should have gotten from the start.”

_And I won't let you fall. Don’t be afraid to fall. I’m right here to catch you. I won't let you down. It won't get you down; you’re gonna make it. Yeah I know you can make it._


	15. All For Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very, very late update. Work has got me swamped and school is starting soon. But I'm not giving up on this story. Thanks to any/all who have stuck through it with me and this story. Enjoy!

Part Two: The Past Haunts

Chapter Fifteen: All for Love

Clint

_I'm all for love. But I can't see the light. Tell me how to do it. Tell me how I'm gonna get it right._

Clint sits in the passenger seat of their new van, pulling his shirt back over his growing baby bump. In the past few days, they’d done a lot. Phil had showed Clint the newly finished room for Wanda and Pietro; and they’d picked up the twins, with their social worker, to pick out new clothes and books and movies. The twins had felt awkward about it, that much was apparent, but, by the end of it, they were excited too. They had yet to see the house, so of course they hadn’t yet seen their room. But Clint and Phil had gone home after the shopping trip and had spent the rest of the day washing the new clothes and setting up the books and clothes in their room. They’d already talked to the twins to find out who wanted the closet, and Wanda had been picked for it, so they hung her new dresses and nice shirts up for her. They settled everything else in the dresser, as they’d done for Pietro. 

Now it was finally the day they’d get to take the twins home. They were on their way to get their last paper signed, and they’d officially be a family of five. The only problem was, Clint was conflicted. Not conflicted about the twins. No, he was sure he wanted them to be part of their family. But he didn’t know how to act as a parent to two kids who were just as damaged as he’d been when he’d first met Phil. How was he going to be able to help them through their pain, when he didn’t even know if he’d made it through his own?

Phil parks the van and gets Kaylee out. Clint sits, frozen until his door opens. He turns to look at Phil, who is holding out his free hand. “Come on, it’s going to be okay. You’re a great father to Kaylee and you’ll be a great father to them. Nobody expects you to easily fall into the part, Clint. It’s going to take time, for all of us, to get used to the way things are going to be. But he’s not going to be able to hurt you again. He won’t be able to hurt any of you again. We’ve got them both signed up for a therapist, and we don’t have to worry about how to pay her because the state’s paying for it to make up for their negligence with finding a good foster home for them. So let’s go get our kids, and bring them home. We can worry about everything else later.”

Clint nods and unbuckles his seat belt, slowly sliding out of the van. But he’s still nervous. He doesn’t know what they are going to expect of him. And he still worries that he’s not going to be enough. They walk into the building, and then Phil leads him to the room they were supposed to meet in. The twins both look up at them when they walk into the room, and Clint’s heart leaps into his throat. In that moment, he realizes that it doesn’t matter. They want him, and he wants them, and that’s all that really matters right now. 

“You’re sure this is what you want?” Pietro asks nervously, and Clint kicks himself for not thinking of their nervousness, for not thinking of their worries. 

“We want nothing more than to bring you home, where you belong.” Clint assures him, and they both smile at him nervously. He reaches out and hugs them, and they kind of relax in his arms. “Now let’s sign this paper work, so we can do just that.” 

The ride to the house is filled with a slightly awkward silence. The twins sit on either side of Kaylee, who babbles at them. They smile at her, and play with her, which makes the air in the van slightly less awkward. They turn down their dirt road, and suddenly the twins are looking out the windows. Clint smiles and Phil reaches over to rest his hand on Clint’s, smiling when their eyes meet. They are acting a lot like Clint was when he’d first been showed the house. They finally pull up to it, and the twins’ eyes widen in surprise. 

“Welcome home.” Phil says softly, as he puts the van in park. They stay silent, looking around through the windows. 

Clint laughs, “Well, aren’t you gonna get out and take a look around?” That sets them into action as they awkwardly fumble with the van doors, hoping out as soon as they are open. Clint gets Kaylee out and sets her on the ground. She moves towards the twins, smiling. 

Phil walks up and puts his arm around him. “This is amazing, having them home.” 

“If this is their reaction to the outside, I can’t wait until they see the inside. Especially their room,” Clint murmurs as he watches them reach the barn. 

Phil goes to the door and lets Lucky out. The dog immediately tears across the yard, trying to go greet the new people. The twins laughs can be heard from where Clint is, and his eyes start to tear up a little. _This is home._

A few days later, the twins are all settled in. They’ve met their therapist once and they went with Clint to get his next ultrasound. Clint had received his drivers license in the mail after waiting for what seemed like forever. Phil was pretending not to be excited about it, but Clint knew he was excited. Clint and Phil had brought the twins out to get registered for school for the upcoming year. 

July came and went, and they were finally becoming a family. The twins were smiling more and Kaylee was starting to talk more. Phil was back to work, with enough time to come home and still be an active parent. Clint was able to take the kids out and they didn’t have to walk anymore, so they could actually go places. 

Before long, Loki was ready to have his baby. They all sat in the hospital, once again gathering to celebrate a new life entering the world. The twins were super excited, as they’d never seen a baby that was brand new. They sat in a corner of the room with all of the babies, except little Quinn, playing with them so the adults can all relax for a few minutes. Erik and Charles, the newest additions to their group of friends, sat talking (fighting) about videotaping the birth of their expected pup. Clint snickered, earning an elbow from Phil. Thor had been shoving a video camera in everyone’s faces when they’d showed up, telling them he was “Filming this happy occasion, in order to look back on the fond memories for the rest of their lives.” Obviously, some of them were skeptical. 

“Charles, that is the end of the discussion. You will never win this one, please give up. It will save you some energy.” Clint laughed loudly at that and Erik rolled his eyes and flashed him a smile. Charles frowns and huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why don’t you guys want to find out the genders of your twins?” Erik asks, trying to move on.

“We just don’t think it’s important,” Clint says with a shrug.

“But you found out with Kaylee,” Bucky points out.

“That’s because we had nothing for a baby and wanted to make sure we got everything right. Now we know what to buy and what you really need to get before the baby arrives, so we know we don’t really need much gendered things. Besides, Steve knows the genders and has agreed to buy a few gendered things for them to get us started.”

“How are you going to pick names, then?” Natasha asked, eyebrow raised. 

“We each have a name for each gender, so we have four name choices. Then we will give them middle names when they are born,” Clint replies. 

“Are you two going to find out the baby’s gender when you can?” Phil asked Charles and Erik. Charles sighed.

“My friend, that is yet another battle we’ve been fighting with each other.” 

“Oh, do you have to be so dramatic?” Erik asks with a snarl. 

Phil turns to look at Clint, who shrugs in response. Thor enters the room then, and all of the tension in the air fades away. “It’s a boy,” Thor announces, and everyone offers their congratulations. “Loki wanted to see if the two young ones wanted to come meet him first,” Thor is looking at the twins, who blink in surprise. “We know you have been looking forward to seeing a newborn, before your new siblings are born.” 

They both look over and Phil and Clint. Clint laughs, “Of course you can go.” 

“You two, too. And the little miss.” Thor adds, hands on each twins’ shoulder. Clint stands up and picks Kaylee up, resting her against his quite large belly. They all follow Thor’s lead, entering a room. 

Loki looks up from the bundled up baby that rests against his chest, smiling tiredly. “Hey, who gets to hold him first?” Clint and Phil watch the twins try to get a look at the baby from a distance. 

Phil walks up to Wanda and leads her to a chair in the corner of the room. Thor takes the baby from Loki and slowly hands him to Wanda, who holds her arms out, unsure. Pietro walks up and leans against the chair, looking at the baby in his sisters arms. Clint watches with a small smile as the twins both stare at the baby in awe, though Wanda looked nervous. The baby starts to wiggle in her arms and she lets out a surprised squeak. She immediately tries to hand the baby over to Pietro, who gently takes the baby in his arms. Phil and Clint both rush forward to help, but he’s already holding the baby correctly before they can get to him. Pietro stares down at the baby and smiles. “Hi there, little one,” he coos. The baby blinks his little eyes open for a flash. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Want to know his name?” Loki asks. They all nod. “Troy Odinson.” 

“Troy? Hmm, that’s a pretty heroic name for such a little boy.” Pietro murmurs. “He’ll be a fighter.” 

“Yeah, he will,” Clint agrees. Kaylee is all of a sudden straining in his arms, and he realizes that she’s trying to get a good look at the baby. “Oh, you want to see the baby?” Clint asks, walking closer to Pietro and helping Kaylee get a good look at the baby. “You’re gonna be a good big sister, right? So sweet.” Kaylee leans down to touch the baby’s head, patting gently. “So soft,” he warns, and she smiles at him. “Yeah, we’re gonna have two of these in a few months.” 

They go home not long after that, and eat dinner as a family.

The next day, Phil goes to work and the four of them are left to their own devices. It was raining, so Clint had decided to drive them all out to get some pizza at an arcade/indoor park. They ordered their pizza and then the twins took Kaylee to play in the little indoor park set. Clint’s sitting in their booth, watching the kids play. Then he hears a deep voice, and he nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Hey, kiddo.” 

_I’m all for love. I’m gonna try it again. I don't wanna give up. Cause I'm all for love._


	16. How to Save a Life

Part Two: The Past Haunts

 

Chapter Sixteen: How to Save a Life

 

Clint

 

_Some sort of window to your right. As he goes left and you stay right. Between the lines of fear and blame. You begin to wonder why you came._

 

Clint jumps in his seat, turning to look at the man who’d spoken to him. “Can I help you?” his eyebrows furrow in confusion. 

 

“Clint, it’s me. Barney.” The man says. 

 

Clint wants to say, _“That’s impossible. I haven't seen or heard from Barney in nearly ten years. He couldn’t be here now. He wouldn’t be here now. The last time I saw him, he left me behind.”_ Instead, he says, “Barney? It’s been so long.” 

 

“Yeah, way too long.” He sits in the booth, across from him. “Looks like you’ve been busy,” he says, gesturing towards his belly. 

 

Clint laughs, a bit nervous. “Yeah.”

 

“You ready to pop?” 

 

He frowns slightly, biting his lip gently. “No, I’m only five months. But I’m having twins, so….”

 

“Wow, twins.” 

 

“How have you been, Barney?” 

 

“Well, I’ve been livin’ with the circus for the past nine and a half years. They decided to come here for a few weeks and I saw your name in the paper….”

 

Clint’s heart drops to his stomach. He feels his babies kicking him, as if trying to comfort him or asking what’s wrong. He rests his hand on his stomach. “You read my name in the paper?” 

 

“Yeah. Heard you helped put a child molester and abuser away. Good for you, little bro.” Barney is grinning and it makes Clint uncomfortable. Suddenly, it’s as if he understands the decision to separate the two of them as kids. Barney, this Barney at least, was slightly terrifying. He was quite large in stature and had muscles that seemed to be the size of Clint’s head. His hair is short like Clint’s but it’s red-brown color seems almost menacing to Clint. And Clint’s shifting in his seat, ready to say something when he sees Kaylee running towards him, Wanda and Pietro pretending to chase her. Clint would normally have been very excited at the sight, but with Barney here….

 

“Oof, what you doing, big girl?” Clint asks, lifting Kaylee up after she runs into his legs. 

 

“Dada,” she says in response, patting his face.

 

“Yes, sweet pea?” he asks.

 

“Hungy.” 

 

“Ah. Pizza’s coming soon, baby,” he says. He looks up at the twins, who glance at Barney and then look at Clint. 

 

“We can take her back in there if you want…” Wanda said, again looking at Barney. Pietro won’t take his wary eyes off of him. 

 

“Who are these lovely people?” Barney asks again with a grin. Pietro immediately flinches, taking a step away from him. He laughs, and it’s a sharp, harsh sound. Pietro looks at Clint with worried eyes.

 

“This is my brother, Barney.” Wanda narrows her eyes. “Barney, these are my kids. Wanda and Pietro and little Kaylee.” 

 

“What’s the real story, kiddo?” he asks. Clint sighs. “They’re like _almost your age_.” 

 

“Doesn’t matter what the story is. They’re my kids, that’s all that matters.” 

 

“Two large pepperoni pizzas?” the waitress asks, fake cheery smile locked in place. Clint can’t help but feel extremely grateful for the interruption. 

 

“Yeah, that’s us.”

 

“Mind if I join ya guys?” Barney asks, and Clint agrees but gets up to join his brother’s side of the booth, sliding in and putting Kaylee into a highchair. The twins sit across from them and Clint hates how uncomfortable it makes him. They eat in tense silence. The twins run off right after they all finish eating, and Clint can’t blame them. He hands them money to exchange for arcade coins, and tells them he’ll keep Kaylee. “Clint, what’s the story?” his brother presses the second the twins are out of sight.

 

“Why are you here, Barney?” Clint tries.

 

“I asked you first.” 

 

“Didn’t you read the whole article?” 

 

“So they _are_ the same twins,” Barney says, leaning back and staring at Clint, who’d once again moved to the other side of the booth. He lets out a low whistle and grins again, leaning forwards and resting his chin on this folded knuckles. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

 

“Come on, it’s the least you could do for me, little bro. Think of what I’ve had to go through.” Clint’s teeth grind as he tries to keep himself from yelling. “If you do this with me, I won’t ever come to you for anything again.”

 

“Never again?” Clint asks, hesitantly.

 

“Nope. You won’t ever have to see me again. All I need is you to drive me someplace. Tonight.” Clint opens his mouth to speak, “Nuh-uh. No questions. It’s easier that way. Now, what do you say, kiddo?” His evil grin turns darker as Clint sighs. 

 

_Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness. And I would have stayed up with you all night. Had I known how to save a life._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been so long. I do still have chapters of this written and I'm hoping to get back to writing it more when I am done writing a story that I am really focused on. So sorry but I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are going to stick with it!


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